JOHN SINGER SARGENT – Pinned dresses, a perfect scandal, and a glimpse into aristocratic life

John Singer Sargent (1856-1925), an American expatriate painter renowned for his striking portraits, was a prominent figure in European bohemian society. Throughout his life, he produced approximately 900 oil paintings, 2000 watercolours, and numerous sketches and preliminary studies. I recently had the opportunity to view 60 of his works, on display at the Tate Britain Museum in London until 7 July 2024.

Sargent spend his early years in Paris, where he studied at the atelier of leading portrait painter Carolus-Duran. There, he was exposed to the works of old masters like Rembrandt, Anthony van Dyck, and Diego Velázquez. He also experimented with Impressionist techniques, evident in some of his paintings. For instance, in Group with Parasols (1904-1905) the viewer sees two women and two men lounging casually on the grass. Sargent used broad brush strokes to create a vibrant image and effectively depict the light.

One of Sargent’s most famous portraits, Madame X (In the cover, 1883-1884), almost ruined his career. Unveiled at the Paris Salon in 1884, this portrait of the young socialite Virginie Amélie Avegno Gautreau shows her standing in a statuesque pose, wearing a black dress with jewelled straps. The portrait was not well-received by critics or the public; they deemed the dress indecent, especially as it originally featured one strap slipping off her shoulder. Sargent later ‘fixed’ the strap and kept the painting until 1915, when he sold it to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York for £1,000, asking for it to be titled “Madame X” to protect Gautreau’s reputation.

Although provoking criticism for the artist’s indifference to conventions of pose, modelling, and treatment of space, Sargent himself considered the painting one of the best works he had ever done.

I wholeheartedly agree, as the portrait is timeless and iconic. Sargent aimed to capture the beauty of a young woman but in an unconventional manner. The clothing, pose, and use of cosmetics were not seen as typical in 1880s Parisian portraits. What astonished the viewers was that the ambitious, young Sargent had boldly portrayed a new brazen "type" in Parisian society: the so-called professional beauty, a woman who audaciously used her appearance to gain celebrity and advance her social standing, according to Stephanie L. Herdrich.

To recover from his damaged reputation, Sargent moved to Great Britain, where he lived until his death. His first few years in London were challenging, as English patrons were hesitant to commission portraits. However, portraits commissioned during his visits to the United States helped to restore his reputation. The ambitious canvas Carnation, Lily, Lily, Rose (below, 1885-1886) also contributed significantly to this positive change.

The plein-air painting depicts two girls in white dresses lighting Chinese lanterns in a flower garden. Sargent made numerous sketches to capture the natural poses of the girls and worked on the canvas for nearly two years, determined to recreate the light effect he observed one evening in Pangbourne. He painted only for a few minutes each evening to capture the precise level of light. When the flowers died in autumn, he replaced them with artificial ones.

The large canvas, measuring 174 x 153.7 cm, was first exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1887 and received positive reviews from the public. It is an impressive painting and one of my favourites. I admire its subtlety, calm colours, and soft light, all of which create an unforgettable atmosphere.

By the late 1890s, Sargent was internationally recognised as one of the most prominent portraitists and painted many famous personalities of the time, including actress Dame Ellen Terry, the Duchess of Portland, and US President Woodrow Wilson.

While he depicted businessmen and their families, artists, and performers, Sargent thrived particularly as a creator of portraits for the English aristocracy. He engaged with tradition, crafting grand-style counterparts to family heirlooms by the likes of Van Dyck or Reynolds.

When working on portraits, Sargent paid great attention to clothing, often arranging gowns to complement the sitter in the best possible way. He would pin, drape, or tuck the clothes, as seen in the painting Lady Sassoon (Aline de Rothschild, above, 1907) where the woman wears a taffeta opera cloak adorned with pink roses. On occasions, Sargent insisted that the sitter wear a specific piece of clothing, which became the main focus of the painting. For example, he asked artist W. Graham Robertson, for a portrait he painted in 1894, to wear a long black coat on a hot summer day, insisting, “The coat is the picture. You must wear it.”

When painting Mrs Fiske Warren and her daughter Rachel (below, 1903) Sargent insisted the young girl wear pink, rather than the velvet green dress she preferred, to match her light hair and pink cheeks. In the picture, the viewer sees a girl in a pink gown, but it is actually a piece of pink fabric that Sargent draped to resemble a dress. The chosen colours blend beautifully, and I particularly admire how the pink complements the young girl’s delicate complexion.

Alongside Sargent’s paintings, the exhibition also features a number of period costumes. Many of his sitters belonged to higher social circles, where fashion was an important aspect of their lives, serving as an effective way to express status and personality. This is clearly visible in the portrait of Madame Ramon Subercaseaux (1880-81), where a young woman sits at the piano in a fashionable white dress with a buttoned bodice and pleated organza skirt. Sargent paid great attention to the details of the dress, aiming to showcase its elegance. The woman’s pose - looking at the viewer, away from the piano - allows the dress to be seen in full.

In his late years, Sargent focused on landscapes and watercolours, producing many paintings with scenes from Venice, the English countryside, Corfu, the Middle East and the United States. Many family members and friends also appear in these paintings. For example, in Two girls in white dresses (c.1911), he painted his niece Rose-Marie in a dress that dominates the canvas. This piece reminds me of Édouard Manet’s paintings of women in white dresses, but Sargent created a more convincing depiction of reality by using broad brush strokes and playing with shadows and light.

Portraiture is probably my least favourite genre in painting. However, Sargent is an exception. His virtuosity, clever use of clothing, attention to detail, and vivid colours elevate the portrait to the next level.

“Again and again, he found ways to elevate the art of social toadying into something surprising, subtle, and tender,” wrote Sebastian Smee. I couldn't agree more.

Images courtesy of Tate Britain